Police are investigating whether the remains belong to a 79-year-old woman who disappeared from nearby Great Neck nearly 10 months ago.
MANHASSET, N.Y. — High school runners discovered human skeletal remains in a wooded section of a Long Island park, leading police to investigate whether the remains belong to an elderly woman who disappeared from a nearby community in December.
The remains were found shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in Plandome Pond Park in Manhasset, authorities said. Nassau County police said the remains were female and that investigators were working with the medical examiner to establish a positive identification. Police said they do not currently believe the death was criminal in nature.
A local high school track team was running through the area when one student noticed what appeared to be human remains in brush near railroad tracks, according to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. The student, described by officials as an Eagle Scout, alerted others, and the group contacted authorities. Police responded and confirmed that the remains were human.
Plandome Heights Mayor Kenneth Riscica said the remains were discovered in a remote wooded area between the railroad tracks and the park, away from the main trails normally used by visitors. The discovery prompted a police investigation and temporarily closed the park while authorities searched the area and collected evidence.
Investigators are examining whether the remains belong to Shi Hua Xu, a 79-year-old mother and grandmother who disappeared from her Great Neck home in December 2025. Xu had dementia and was known to take long walks around her neighborhood, according to local reporting. Police said she was last seen about four miles from the area where the remains were found.
Ryder said investigators had several indicators connecting the remains to the earlier missing-person case but emphasized that formal identification was still pending. Xu’s family told NBC New York that detectives and the medical examiner’s office had contacted them. Family members said police showed them an item of clothing recovered from the scene that they recognized as belonging to Xu.
Authorities were awaiting DNA testing before confirming whether the remains were Xu’s. Her family had joined neighbors and law enforcement in extensive searches after she disappeared. NBC New York reported that Xu did not have a tracking device with her when she went missing. ABC7 reported that the earlier search included helicopters, dogs and grid searches over several days.
Police have not publicly explained how the woman whose remains were found died or how long the remains had been in the wooded area. Ryder said investigators did not believe the case was criminal, while News 12 reported that authorities were still working to determine the circumstances of the death. No evidence of foul play had been announced as of Sunday.
The discovery has drawn attention in the normally quiet residential area surrounding Plandome Pond Park. Riscica said he spoke with the student who found the remains and described the teenager as handling the experience with composure. The mayor said the teen expressed hope that the discovery could provide answers to a family that had been searching for a missing relative.
North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena also said the discovery could finally bring closure to a family after months of uncertainty. Authorities, however, have not formally identified the remains, and investigators have cautioned that the medical examiner’s findings are needed before any connection to the missing woman can be confirmed.
The Nassau County investigation remained ongoing Sunday. Police had not announced a final identification or cause of death, and the medical examiner’s DNA testing remained the key next step in determining whether the remains are those of Xu.